LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Coast Guard says it has rescued a kayaker who turned back in his attempt to paddle from California to Hawaii.

The Coast Guard says in a statement that a helicopter answering a distress call spotted the 57-year-old man in the Pacific on Tuesday about 60 miles southwest of Santa Barbara. Officials gave directions to a boat crew that found him in good health.

A friend of the man told the Coast Guard he’d left Monterey May 30th attempting to make the voyage of nearly 2,400 miles to Honolulu in a kayak with a solar panel that charged his electronic equipment.

The solar panel malfunctioned on Saturday and the man turned back to California, but sent out the distress call when he couldn’t find his way back.